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Short filmTranscript
00:06Leon finally noticed that I had gone three days without asking Lydia for a single key.
00:11He thought I had finally learned to be an obedient queen.
00:15So he sent a servant with a message that sounded more like a royal favor than an apology.
00:21His Majesty says, tonight he will have someone bring you the key to the royal apothetery.
00:26He will also send the royal physician to check on your father again.
00:30But I didn't react at all.
00:32Listening to the royal servant's announcement, I just sat quietly at the table, without the joy he had expected.
00:39His Majesty reminds you to abide by this rule.
00:42Never again employ crude theatrical ploys to threaten the crown.
00:48The gold the late king awarded your father will remain under the royal household's care.
00:54People of your black race should not hold that much gold all at once.
00:58It only invites trouble.
01:00I stood in the grandest chamber of Whitestone Palace and listened quietly.
01:04What Leon did not know was that by the time I received that message.
01:08I had already filed a petition to dissolve our marriage in the Archbishop's Court.
01:12My father had died three days ago in his blacksmith shop.
01:16After three years in the palace, the only things I could take with me were the old dress I had
01:20worn when I first entered the palace.
01:23And the little iron hammer my father had forged for me with his own hands.
01:27The servant waited for me to cry, shout, or beg for the king's mercy.
01:31I did none of those things.
01:32I only folded the message once, placed it on the table, and looked toward the locked wardrobe across the room.
01:39No one would believe that Aaliyah, the queen everyone envied, lived in the grandest chamber of Whitestone Palace yet could
01:46not even open her own wardrobe.
01:50My gowns were locked in the West Wing wardrobe.
01:53My jewelry was locked in the queen's jewel room.
01:56My carriage sat in the Eastgate carriage house.
01:58My father's reward money was sealed inside an iron coffer at the bottom of the royal treasury.
02:03Even when I wanted to call a royal physician for my father, I had to ask Lydia for the apothecary
02:09key and permission to leave the palace.
02:11And every one of those keys was in Lydia's hands.
02:14She was the king's chief court lady.
02:16And she had grown up with Leon.
02:18Before I appeared, everyone believed she would become the woman who ruled this palace.
02:23Later, on his deathbed, the old king insisted that Leon marry me because my father, Thomas, had saved the old
02:31king during a winter hunt.
02:33But Leon looked down on my low birth.
02:35He always believed that if a poor family suddenly received wealth, we would waste it the moment it reached our
02:41hands.
02:42The gold will stay in the royal treasury.
02:46It will be released whenever your father truly needs it.
02:50I believed him then.
02:52I thought being queen meant I had finally earned a place where my father would be safe.
02:57Instead, I found myself standing before locked doors, waiting for another woman to decide whether my needs were proper enough.
03:05Three days ago, my father was dying.
03:08I begged Leon to give me the key to my father's gold coffer.
03:11I also begged him to let me take medicine from the royal apothecary.
03:15Lydia kept holding back the treasury key and the apothecary key.
03:19Again and again.
03:21Until my father died in his bed.
03:23All these years, I endured everything so my father could keep receiving treatment from the royal, physicians and medicine from
03:30the palace apothecary.
03:32Now my father was gone.
03:33There was no reason for me to stay.
03:37When I asked Leon to end our marriage, he refused.
03:40He was in his study, reading the border tax ledgers.
03:44His eyes never left the parchment.
03:46His voice was as cold as if he were scolding a maid who had broken a cup.
03:53Stop making trouble.
03:54He treated it like nothing more than a childish error, not realizing for a moment that I meant every word.
04:00I'm not making trouble.
04:02I've already submitted the petition to the archbishop's court.
04:05I stood before his desk and said calmly.
04:08Only then did Leon look up at me.
04:11His eyes were cold, as though my words were a waste of his time.
04:16About your father.
04:17I was the one who told Lydia not to give you the apothecary key.
04:21It had nothing to do with her.
04:23She was only following my orders.
04:27My fingers twitched at my sides.
04:29In the past, the moment he mentioned my father, I would lower my head.
04:35My father's old wounds flared up every winter.
04:39Village healers could not help him.
04:41He had to rely on the royal physicians and medicine from the palace apothecary to stay.
04:46Alive, that was the reward the late king had promised him.
04:51But after the old king died, Leon said my father did not know how to manage money.
04:55He said a blacksmith who suddenly possessed that much gold would only be cheated, robbed, and perhaps killed for it.
05:02So he locked my father's gold coffer inside the royal treasury.
05:06He said he would release it whenever my father truly needed it.
05:11But every need had to go through Lydia.
05:13His majesty's commands are absolute.
05:15I have no special privileges even when my own father's life was hanging in the balance.
05:22My father was burning with fever.
05:24His old wound rotting open.
05:26I knelt outside the apothecary door and begged Lydia to give me the key.
05:30She wore a pale blue court gown and held a ring of keys in her hand.
05:34Her smile was gentle.
05:36Almost regretful.
05:38Your majesty.
05:39The apothecary key cannot be handed over carially.
05:44Vise de Thomas, your croupon tres colis.
05:47Master Thomas is only a commoner.
05:50He does not fall under royal emergency care.
05:54That treatment was promised to him by the late king.
05:57I'm not denying the late king's generosity.
06:00But rules are rules.
06:03Have the village healer write a note describing his condition first.
06:09Then have it sealed by a church physician.
06:12Only then can I open the apothecary.
06:17I brought back the note.
06:19She glanced at it and frowned lightly.
06:21I brought back the note.
06:23She glanced at it and frowned lightly.
06:26The date isn't clear enough.
06:28It only says fever.
06:30It doesn't specify whether his life is in danger.
06:32Your majesty.
06:34I'm not trying to make this hard for you.
06:36Every bottle in the royal apothecary must be recorded.
06:40You are queen now.
06:42You cannot act like you are still in a blacksmith shop,
06:45taking whatever you want whenever you want it.
06:47After that, she made me bring a travel permit,
06:51a physician's certificate,
06:52a written reason for withdrawing from the gold car,
06:55a statement explaining why my father
06:57could not be treated by a village healer.
07:00I ran back and forth again and again.
07:02My father's breathing grew weaker each time.
07:04I returned.
07:06The village healer pressed the last certificate into my hand and
07:09whispered that there might still be time if I hurried.
07:15By the time I returned with the paper,
07:17my shoes were soaked through with mud,
07:20and Lydia only asked whether the church seal was placed in the correct corner.
07:29By the time the key finally arrived in the blacksmith shop,
07:33my father never opened his eyes again.
07:41So now, when Leon said he would have someone bring me the apothecary key tonight,
07:46I found it absurd.
07:47The apothecary no longer mattered.
07:49My father had no use for it anymore.
07:51Leon watched my silence and thought I had finally learned to be afraid.
07:55He closed the parchment in his hand.
07:57Impatient.
07:58Alia, if you hadn't stormed into the household office a few days ago and shouted at Lydia,
08:04I would never have let her hold back the keys to teach you a lesson.
08:07You are queen, not some little girl throwing a fit in a blacksmith shop.
08:14Last night, I already told her to give you the apothecary key.
08:17My time is precious.
08:19I don't have the patience to watch you lose your temper.
08:22With that, he stood and turned to leave.
08:24He was certain I would lower my head soon enough,
08:27just like I had for the past three years.
08:29Even when he said in front of the nobles
08:31that I looked desperate to please,
08:33I only smiled and said nothing.
08:36Even when Lydia smiled and took one key after another away from me,
08:40I endured it.
08:41I once thought that as long as my father was alive,
08:44I could endure anything.
08:46Now my father was gone and I did not need to stay anymore.
08:49But Leon did not know that he had never been willing to let me finish a sentence.
08:54Later, a maid brought me the celebration ledger Lydia had sent.
08:58His Majesty asks Your Majesty to write a line of praise,
09:02so no one missed a stand, Lady Lydia.
09:05I sound that joke and laughed.
09:08The maid lowered her eyes,
09:10afraid I would tear the ledger apart.
09:12Instead, I took the quill with steady fingers.
09:17I picked up the quill and wrote carefully,
09:20Lady Lydia is diligent indeed.
09:24With one ring of keys,
09:25she rules over both the queen and the servants.
09:37And may she keep guarding every door,
09:40and may she keep guarding the place she hopes to move into one day.
09:46Your Majesty,
09:47should I really deliver this?
09:49The maid's face went pale
09:53Deliver it exactly as written
09:56His majesty wanted praise
09:58I gave him praise
09:59After writing it
10:01I closed the ledger
10:02Then I returned to my chamber and began to pack
10:05There was not much to pack
10:06Everything that seemed to belong to me in the
10:09Palace was locked in someone else's hands
10:11The only things I could take were the old dress I wore
10:14When I entered the palace
10:15A few faded shirts
10:17And the little hammer my father had given me
10:19For all these years
10:21I had lived in the palace like a temporary guest
10:24Only now did I understand
10:26Even a guest could at least open a
10:28Door for herself
10:30I folded the old dress carefully and placed my father's hammer on top of it
10:34The iron handle was cold
10:36But the weight of it steadied me more than any crown ever had
10:40Outside
10:41The bells of white stone palace rang for Lydia's private dinner
10:44Inside
10:45I closed my trunk and finally felt something like peace
10:49No longer a queen
10:50No longer in need of anyone's keys
10:52I am just me the me who can make any decision
10:57Leon came back very quickly
10:59Whenever it involved Lydia
11:01He was always prompt
11:03He strode into my chamber and did not even notice the small leather trunk at my feet
11:07I said flatly
11:09I heard
11:11I didn't want to
11:12Leon looked as if I had said something outrageous
11:15I already told you
11:16Lydia has managed the palace household well lately
11:19So I held a dinner to reward her
11:22There are already enough people in the palace misunderstanding her
11:27After what you wrote in the ledger
11:28How is she supposed to face anyone?
11:30I could not help laugh
11:34So not everyone is blind
11:38If people misunderstand her so easily
11:41Maybe they already know what she's been doing
11:43Leon's face darkened
11:46Aaliyah
11:47When did you become so vulgar?
11:50You know exactly how hard it is for a young woman without a noble title to rise this far
11:55Why would you smear another capable woman like this?
12:00Lydia only manages the palace for me
12:05If you hadn't made us fade a scene in the household office
12:07Would people be talking about her now?
12:09He looked at me with exhaustion and blame in his eyes
12:13If you want to be a queen who knows nothing except how to hold out her hand for keys
12:17I won't blame you
12:20I gave you a crown
12:22A palace
12:23And status
12:25What more do you want?
12:26For three years
12:28I had wanted him to ask that question sincerely
12:30Now that he had finally asked it
12:33But now
12:34There's no point in my answering anymore
12:38But if you keep targeting Lydia
12:39Don't blame me for being harsh
12:42Think about your father
12:46I finally laughed out loud
12:49It hurt my throat
12:51Then I opened my trunk right in front of him
12:57A crown?
12:58A palace?
13:00Dignity?
13:02Dignity?
13:03Look at what my life in your palace has been
13:07I'm leaving
13:08And I can't even pack four decent dresses
13:16If I wanted to change into a ball gown
13:18I had to ask your lady of the court for a key
13:23If I wanted to visit my father
13:24I had to explain the reason to Lydia first
13:28What queen has to live at the mercy of her husband's favorite court lady?
13:32There was not a trace of guilt on Leon's face
13:34He only frowned and asked
13:36Genuinely baffled
13:39All this over that?
13:43So you were jealous of Lydia
13:45And deliberately tried to ruin her name?
13:47My heart went cold
13:48Inch by inch
13:50If he truly thought this was wrong
13:51He would not have let Lydia take my keys again and again for three years
13:56He would not have allowed the entire palace to know the queen had no right to open her own doors
14:01I lowered my eyes
14:03Fine
14:04Think whatever you want
14:07I want our marriage dissolved
14:08Leon laughed instead
14:10There was a knowing look in that laugh
14:13As if he had finally seen through my cheap little trick
14:16Enough
14:16I don't have time to coax you through another tantrum
14:21You're doing all this because of Lydia, aren't you?
14:25Don't assume every woman is like you
14:28Always fighting over a man
14:30As he spoke
14:31He smoothed the wrinkle from his sleeve as though making a great concession
14:35Tomorrow
14:37I will send the royal physician to see your father in person
14:43In a moment
14:44I'll have Lydia give you the keys to the queen's wardrobe
14:47The jewel room
14:51From now on your daily expenses won't need to go through the household accounts
15:24After three years as Leon's wife
15:25His impatience instantly turned into anger
15:29Aliyah
15:30Don't forget how you became queen
15:33Your father saved the late king
15:37That is why the late king rewarded your family with honor
15:41If you leave me
15:43Those rewards
15:45That gold
15:46Those properties
15:47You won't get a single copper on
15:50And your father's illness
15:53Without the royal physicians and the royal apothecary
15:57How long do you think
15:58How long do you think it can last?
16:00Not long at all
16:01I knew that better than anyone
16:03Now everything was only returning to where it should have been
16:06I fastened
16:07My trunk again and said lightly
16:10Do whatever you want
16:13Leon froze
16:14He seemed unable to understand why a threat that had always worked on Aliyah suddenly had no effect
16:19But his pride would not let him lower his head again
16:24So he watched her drag her trunk toward the door with a cold face
16:27When Aliyah pulled open the chamber doors
16:30He seemed as if he wanted to call her back
16:32In the end
16:33He said nothing
16:34Only later did Aliyah learn that Lydia went to his study that night
16:39Your majesty doesn't need to humor her
16:41Leave her alone for a few days
16:44She'll come back and apologize
16:46Her majesty has simply grown too comfortable as queen
16:50And wants to make a scene
16:52Leon believed her
16:53He even found a honey mint in his study and thought of Aliyah
16:56His throat always hurt more into her
16:59So Aliyah had once learned to make those candies for him
17:02Leon turned the candy between his fingers for a long while
17:08She is not completely useless after all
17:10Lydia lowered her eyes to hide the shadow of jealousy in them
17:14Even now
17:15Even while he was angry
17:16One small candy was enough to make Leon think of Aliyah first
17:20He told himself that Aliyah was not completely useless after all
17:24When she came back
17:25He would make her apologize sincerely
17:28And she would never again threaten him with a petition to dissolve their marriage
17:33After leaving the palace
17:35I did not leave the kingdom
17:37I first went to the archbishop's court to confirm that my petition had been filed
17:42Then
17:43Carrying my father's ashes
17:45I went to the armory camp on the northern border
17:48That was where my father had worked when he was young
17:50He used to say that in the north
17:52People did not ask where you came from
17:55They only asked whether you were good with your hands
17:57I did not understand that before
17:59Now I did
18:01When I arrived at the armory camp
18:03Dragging my trunk behind me
18:05The soldier at the gate looked at me with obvious suspicion
18:11Who are you looking for?
18:14Madam Martha
18:15Madam Martha was the old blacksmith of the armory camp
18:18And she had once trained with my father
18:21Before I married into the palace
18:23She had come to persuade me not to go
18:25A place like the palace isn't meant for people like us
18:29People who live by our hands
18:31I did not listen then
18:33Now when I saw her again
18:35Her hair had turned white
18:36She looked at the trunk in my hand and the urn in my arms
18:40She did not ask a single question
18:43Come in
18:45She simply stepped aside
18:50My nose stung
18:51And tears fell before I could stop them
18:54For the first time since my father's death
18:56No one asked me for a permit
18:58A seal
18:59Or a reason
19:01One door opened because someone chose to open it for me
19:06After I had cried enough
19:07Madam Martha set a slope
19:13Done crying?
19:15Then wash your hands
19:19I'm sure to lock repairer
19:21And someone who can mend armor
19:22If you still remember what your father taught you
19:25Stay
19:25I stared at her
19:28You're not going to ask why I'm here?
19:31Madam Martha snorted
19:33Anyone who can walk out of the palace alive
19:36Is lucky enough
19:38What is there to ask?
19:40Or did three years as queen
19:42Make you too delicate to hold a hammer?
19:44I smiled through my tears
19:49I can hold one
19:50For myself?
19:51I can hold anything
19:53At first I was not used to it
19:57The wind in the north was hard
19:59The furnace was scorching
20:01And the armory camp was nothing like the palace
20:03No maids came to make my bed
20:05Blisters soon formed across my palms
20:08A young apprentice saw the blood on my fingers
20:11And held out a strip of cloth
20:14Miss Alelia
20:15Maybe you should rest
20:17I wrapped my palm
20:19And picked up the hammer again
20:24If I stop every time I bleed
20:26I will never make anything strong
20:28But as time passed
20:30The skills carved into my bones
20:32Slowly returned
20:33How to hear the quality of
20:35Metal
20:35How to tell where a lock's inner teeth were stuck
20:38How to shape a horseshoe with the right curve
20:41How to mend a broken sword
20:50The more I worked
20:52The steadier my hands became
20:54Once
20:55I repaired a cracked bracer for a night
20:57He tested it twice
20:59And raised his thumb in surprise
21:01I smiled
21:04I thought someone from the palace
21:06Would only know how to wear rings
21:12I couldn't afford rings before
21:16The soldiers around us froze for a second
21:18Then burst into laughter
21:20That was the first time I laughed easily
21:23After leaving the palace
21:24Then an unwelcome voice sounded behind me
21:27A lady
21:28I looked up and saw Lydia
21:30She wore a white fox fur cloak
21:32And stood not far away
21:33Several servants behind her
21:35Her gaze swept over my hands
21:37Stained with coal and iron dust
21:39Then over the soldiers beside me
21:41The corner of her mouth lifted
21:46So this is why her majesty
21:48Suddenly made such a fuss
21:49About ending the marriage
21:51You came back to a place like this
21:53Some people can wear a crown
21:56And still never forget
21:58They came from a blacksmith's shop
22:00I would brush so much a face
22:03My face went cold
22:05The people of the northern armory
22:07Mended armor
22:07Forged swords
22:09And repaired gates and wind and snow
22:11To protect the border
22:12They did not deserve her contempt
22:18I set down the tongs in my hand
22:22Lydia
22:22Do you not have a room of your own?
22:25Why are you behind every door I open?
22:28Lydia's expression changed
22:29At that moment
22:30A familiar voice came from behind her
22:34What happened?
22:37Leon walked over
22:38He wore black hunting clothes
22:40With the royal cloak over his shoulders
22:42So
22:43He had come to inspect the northern border
22:45And of course Lydia had come with him
22:47Her eyes reddened as she lowered her voice
22:50Nothing, your majesty
22:54I only saw her majesty away from the palace for so long
22:58Surrounded by soldiers and smith
23:01And worried she might be taken advantage of
23:05I tried to advise her
23:06But she misunderstood me
23:10Only then did Leon notice me
23:13His brows drew together slightly
23:15There was that familiar certainty in his eyes
23:19Aelia
23:20Did you bully Lydia again?
23:23If you came here to admit your mistake
23:26Apologize to her first
23:27I looked at him once
23:29Then turned away without wasting a word
23:31And picked up my tools
23:32The young apprentice beside me whispered
23:37Miss Aelia
23:38Who is that?
23:39I said coldly
23:40My blind, brainless husband
23:42Leon's face darkened
23:45Aelia
23:48You followed me all the way to the north
23:51How long do you plan to keep this up?
23:54You've been away from the palace for so long
23:57Ignoring your father completely
24:04Are you really trying to force me to never give him the apothetory key again?
24:09I looked at him
24:11Tired of him to the bone
24:14Then don't give it
24:17That's what you're best at, isn't it?
24:21Something in my eyes must have cut Leon
24:23He turned sharply to the servant beside him
24:27Send orders back to the cathedral
24:30From today on
24:31Thomas is not to be given the apothetory key again
24:35And the gold coffin is not to be opened
24:38Panic flashed across Lidia's face
24:40Your majesty
24:43Perhaps we shouldn't
24:44Leon coldly pressed down the hand she had placed on his arm
24:48She needs to be taught a lesson
24:50Otherwise
24:52She will never learn how to be queen
24:55The servant's face went deathly pale
24:57And he did not answer
24:59Leon frowned
25:00What?
25:01The servant lowered his head
25:03His voice tightened
25:04Your majesty
25:07Master Thomas has passed away
25:09Leon froze
25:10What did you say?
25:12The servant forced the words out
25:15Three days ago
25:17Her majesty
25:20Requested that the apothetory be opened
25:22But the key was never delivered
25:25By the time the physician arrived
25:27Master Thomas had already
25:29He did not finish
25:32Leon stood there as if he had suddenly forgotten
25:34How to understand language
25:36A long time passed before he murmured
25:39How is that awesome?
25:44Why didn't anyone tell me?
25:49The servant looked even more troubled
25:52Someone did report it to your majesty at the time
25:55Leon stared at him
25:58What did I say?
26:00The servant crunched his jaw
26:02You said that while you and Lady Lydia
26:05Were watching the winter lantern parade
26:07You did not want to hear anything related to the queen
26:10In that instant
26:11Leon's face went white
26:12I watched him finally remember
26:15That day
26:16I had burst into the household office
26:18And begged Lydia to give me the apothecary key
26:21He said I had shamed the crown
26:23Later
26:24To comfort Lydia after she had been frightened
26:26He lit winter lanterns across the capital for an entire night
26:30The nobles all said his majesty truly favored his chief court lady
26:34My father took his last breath that same night
26:38Leon turned sharply toward Lydia
26:40Tears welled in Lydia's eyes
26:43As if she had suffered a great injustice
26:44Leon
26:47I didn't mean to keep it for you
26:49I only thought Master Thomas had already received so much grace from the late king
26:55And her majesty always makes things sound worse than they are
26:58I was afraid she would influence you
27:01I froly
27:03Give me your key ledger
27:05You're the first to know Leon cut her off
27:08What?
27:10Lydia froze
27:14The record from the apothecary
27:16The treasury key
27:18And the carriage house key from the past few days
27:22All of them
27:24The blood drained from Lydia's face
27:27Leon
27:28These are household affairs
27:31You've never investigated me like this before
27:33What was left to explain
27:34Everything I had said was true
27:36I had not been jealous of Lydia
27:38I had not used my father's illness to threaten him
27:41I had truly wanted to leave
27:43The way Leon looked at me finally began to change
27:46But
27:47I only felt tired
27:48I looked away and lowered my head to sort my tools
27:51Three whole years had been wrong
27:53Leon took one step toward me
27:55But the soldiers of the armory camp shifted almost at the same time
27:59No one drew a weapon
28:01They only stood there, silent and solid
28:03Between the king and the woman he had cornered for too long
28:12Aaliyah
28:13Don't
28:15That single word stopped him more sharply than any royal command
28:19Lydia's fingers closed around the edge of her cloak
28:23Her Majesty
28:24I can explain the ledgers
28:27Her Majesty always demanded things outside procedure
28:31I was protecting your reputation
28:34Leon looked at her
28:36And for once he did not immediately believe her
28:38Then you will explain them in writing
28:41Every missing hour
28:44Every delayed key
28:47Every sealed door
28:48I heard those words and felt nothing like triumph
28:51There was no victory
28:52In being believed after the person you loved most was already dead
29:01Late that night
29:02I came out of the armory camp to dump furnace ash
29:05And saw Leon standing not far away
29:07The firelight was dim
29:09And snow rested on his shoulders
29:11I had only seen him that afternoon
29:13Yet he looked as if his soul had been drained out of him
29:16When he saw me
29:17He stepped toward me at once
29:19Aaliyah
29:19I frowned and stepped back
29:21He stopped
29:22His voice was hoarse
29:25I've taken all the keys back from Lydia
29:26She is no longer the chief court lady
29:29About your father
29:30I didn't know
29:31Give me a chance to make it up to you, all right?
29:34My heart did not soften
29:35I only found it absurd
29:36Once
29:37I had begged him to listen to one sentence
29:39And he found me annoying
29:41Now he stood in the snow
29:42Finally willing to bow his head
29:44But it was too late
29:46I looked at him calmly
29:48Leon
29:48Do you think Lydia is the only problem between us?
29:51He seemed caught off guard
29:54I know I was wrong
29:55He seemed caught off guard
29:56I shouldn't have let her control your keys
30:00I shouldn't have used that method to teach you rules
30:04I just thought the palace had always been like this
30:07Noblemen manage their common-born wives this way all the time
30:12I never thought it would hurt you
30:15And I never truly meant to abandon your father
30:19I looked at him
30:21Leon
30:22Even now
30:23You still think that if you are willing to give
30:26I should be grateful enough to take it
30:28You made me queen
30:29Then handed my wardrobe, the apothetry
30:31And my father's life-saving money to Lydia
30:32You saw my humiliation
30:33You just believed someone of my birth
30:34Had no right to feel humiliated
30:36His face turned paler by the second
30:37I went on
30:40We are over
30:42I don't want anything
30:44When the Archbip's court asks for your response
30:46Don't stand in the way
30:47That's all
30:48Confusion filled
30:50Leon's eyes
30:51He seemed unable to understand
30:53Why I refused to forgive him
30:54When he had already lowered himself this far
30:56Carefully, he asked
30:58What will it take for you to come back with me?
31:02I can give you the keys to the queen's wardrobe
31:04The jewel room
31:05The treasury
31:06The apothetry
31:07All of them
31:08From today on
31:09No door in the palace will stand in your way
31:13I could not help laughing
31:15If all you needed was a vase beside your throne
31:17You should never have been kind to me in the beginning
31:19Yes
31:21I had loved him once
31:22During my first year in the palace
31:24Leon had not always been cold
31:26He taught me my first court dance
31:28He taught me my first court dance
31:33When noble ladies mocked my accent
31:35He took my hand and walked me across the entire ballroom
31:39She is my queen
31:42In that moment, I truly believed I had been chosen
31:49Leon began to say I did not understand the rules
31:51That I was too sensitive
31:53Too petty
31:54Too embarrassing
31:55That Lydia was only helping him
31:58His tenderness was like winter fog on a window
32:00The moment I touched it
32:02It disappeared
32:03I looked at Leon and said softly
32:06I don't need your compensation
32:08I only need this marriage to end
32:11Leon looked as if he had been struck
32:13He stumbled one step forward and reached for me
32:16I avoided him
32:18His hand froze in the air
32:23Aelia, even a prisoner dragged before a court gets to defend himself once
32:27His voice was almost pleading
32:29You can't deny me even one chance to explain
32:33I gave you many chances
32:34I said calmly
32:37Every time I waited outside your study
32:40Every time I went to the household office to beg for a key
32:45Every time I was told you stake for me when key
32:49Every time I told you Lydia was delaying me on purpose
32:54Every time you said listen to Lydia
32:58Those were chances
33:01You were the one who threw them all away
33:03Leon had nothing left to say
33:05I knew how stubborn he was
33:07I also knew dissolving our marriage would not be easy
33:10But I did not expect him to arrive at the armory camp the next morning with a train of carriages
33:15They were loaded with silk
33:17Medicine, gold coffers, and food
33:24The northern armory is always short on funds
33:27I've already ordered the treasurer to allocate money to you
33:33Leon stood in the snow when he saw me
33:35There was even a careful smile on his face
33:40These medicines and iron supplies are for the camp as well
33:43Then he took a small box from a servant
33:47These are candied figs
33:48I remember you used to ask for them late at night
33:51Eat while they're still warm
33:52I did not reach for them
33:54You don't like them?
33:55The hope in Leon's eyes stiffened little by little
33:58I don't like candied figs
34:00Lydia does
34:01I said lightly
34:03Leon froze
34:04I looked at the box and remembered long ago for a period of time
34:08He often asked me to have the kitchens make candied figs late at night
34:12I thought he liked sweets while working late
34:15Only later did I learn they were for Lydia
34:18Once I saw her sitting at the small table in the king's study with my own eyes
34:24Your majesty
34:25Please have the kitchens make another serving next time
34:28At Leon tried them and thinks they're good too
34:34That day I argued with Leon
34:38It's just a bit of food from the kitchen
34:41You are queen and Lydia runs the palace household for me
34:44What's wrong with rewarding her?
34:45Stop acting so small-minded
34:47Now, thinking back
34:49I found myself almost laughable
34:51So I had once been that devoted
34:54I'm sorry
34:55I remembered wrong
34:56Leon gave a difficult smile
35:00Then what do you like?
35:01I'll wish to her it
35:03I'll have someone prepare it
35:04I lowered my head and continued inspecting a broken sword
35:07No need
35:10But Leon did not give up over the next few days
35:13He kept sending gifts
35:14Sometimes it was a sapphire necklace
35:17Sometimes a gold-threaded shawl
35:19Sometimes white roses from the royal greenhouse
35:22Once
35:23He even sent a pair of ivory gloves set with tiny pearls
35:26I looked at those things and became genuinely curious
35:29How did a man who listened this badly manage to rule a country?
35:34When the armory finished repairing a batch of border longswords
35:37Leon came again
35:39This time he carried a delicate wooden box
35:44I did not let him open it
35:46The palace keys
35:49His eyes lit up
35:50How did you know?
35:52I looked at him and gave a small smile
35:54Because you finally remembered that keys were what I lacked most for the past three years
35:59A hint of joy appeared on his face
36:01As if he thought he had finally done something right
36:04He opened the box
36:05Inside lay a ring of golden keys
36:07The wardrobe
36:08The jewel room
36:09The apothecary
36:11The carriage house
36:12The treasury
36:13The inner chamber
36:14Each key bore the queen's crest
36:18From today on
36:20You can open every room in the palace
36:24A'Lelia
36:26I will make up for everything I owe you
36:30I looked at those keys
36:32So late in coming
36:33And suddenly felt exhausted
36:35Leon you still don't understand
36:37Leon you still don't understand
36:40I wanted keys before
36:41Because I was I was still trying to survive inside that palace
36:46I don't need them now
36:48I never wanted the keys to every door in the palace
36:51I never want to go back to that palace at all
36:55The color drained from Leon's face
36:57I continued
36:59The sapphire you sent is what Lydia likes
37:01The gold-threaded shoal is something she wears often
37:06White roses sit in her room all year
37:08The ivory gloves are what she wears before every winter hunt
37:13See
37:14You remember another woman's taste so clearly
37:17So why not dissolve this marriage smoothly and marry her
37:21Leon answered almost without thinking
37:23Thinking
37:23She cannot be queen
37:25Her birth is not suitable
37:27She only likes power and the things inside the palace
37:30I suddenly understood
37:31He saw Lydia clearly
37:33He had simply never considered her someone who could stand beside him
37:37As for me
37:38I had the late king's command and the title of the savior's daughter
37:42My birth was low
37:43But I had no noble family that could threaten him
37:46I was suited to be a queen placed beside his throne
37:49Perhaps there was love in his attachment to me
37:52But more than that he could not accept that I had chosen to leave him
37:57I looked straight at Leon
37:59So you think I walked away with nothing because I loved you?
38:03Because you broke my heart because I wanted you to regret it?
38:06Leon looked away
38:07I said softly
38:10You're wrong
38:12I married you because my father needed the physicians and medicine the late king promised him
38:18I stayed in the palace because he was still alive
38:24Now he is dead
38:25I don't need your money
38:26I don't need your keys
38:28I don't need your love
38:32And I don't need you, Leon
38:37The ruling from the archbishop's court came sooner than I expected
38:41Perhaps because Leon did not interfere again
38:44Perhaps because too many people in the capital already knew that before the queen's father died
38:49The apothecary key had been delayed again and again
38:52The marriage is dissolved on the grounds that it was arranged by the late king's command
38:57That there are no children
38:59And that the relationship has broken beyond repair
39:04Leon did not appear, dot
39:06Royal judges handled everything on his behalf
39:08To my surprise
39:09He did not leave me with nothing as he had once threatened to do
39:13He sent all the reward money my father should have received to the north
39:16He also gave me an estate near the border
39:19A box of jewels
39:20And everything that had once belonged to me in the queen's chamber
39:23I returned to the palace once
39:26Nothing in that chamber had been moved
39:27The wardrobe stood open
39:29The jewel room stood open
39:31Even the inner room I could not enter for three years had its door wide open
39:35On the table lay that ring of golden keys
39:38Each one had been polished until it shone
39:40But I no longer wanted them
39:44I spent two days handing the gowns, jewelry, and properties in the capital over to the merchants' guild for auction
39:51Part of the money went to repairing the northern armory camp
39:54Part went to the families of fallen border soldiers
39:56The rest, I used to build a small workshop in my father's name
40:01One that would take in girls with nowhere else to go and teach them a trade
40:04On the third evening, a royal servant came to the armory camp
40:09He carried a small gold chest and looked uncomfortable
40:12Miss Aaliyah
40:14His majesty said the earlier compensation was not enough
40:19These are new deeds and letters of credit
40:22I looked at the black carriage parked in the distance
40:24I took the chest and walked over
40:26After a while
40:28The carriage window lowered
40:30Leon sat inside
40:31He had lost a great deal of weight
40:34Dark stubble shadowed his jaw
40:36And his eyes were full of exhaustion
40:41I handed the chest back through the window
40:45Leon
40:47I am grateful you didn't truly send me away empty-handed
40:50What you have already given me is enough
40:55But I will still sell the gowns
40:57The jewels
40:59And the houses
41:01I have enough money
41:04I simply don't want to keep anything from the palace
41:07Leon's voice was hoarse
41:10Aaliyah
41:12I only want to make it up to you
41:16You've already made up enough
41:23We owe each other nothing now
41:27Leon suddenly grew agitated
41:29How can we owe each other nothing?
41:33Your father
41:34And the way I treated you before
41:37I wronged you
41:38I was silent for a moment
41:43I did hate you
41:45My father saved the late king
41:47But the reward he earned was locked inside the palace
41:50But when he needed those things to live
41:52I couldn't even get a key
41:55There was a time when I wanted to burn that palace down
41:58Leon's face turned pale
42:01I went on
42:03But I also have to admit
42:05Leon that my father survived those three years
42:08Because of the royal physicians and the apothetry
42:11That was what the old king promised him
42:16And it was something you never complete, Leon
42:21He never completely took away
42:22Before my father died
42:24He held my hand with the little strength he had left
42:31Aaliyah
42:32Don't spend your whole life inside hatred
42:37My greatest regret is not that I never lived in a grand house
42:41It's that I never got to see you return to the forge
42:46My daughter could have made the finest keys
42:50Win the finest keys
42:54At that moment
42:55The person I hated most became myself
42:57I hated myself for being useless
43:00I hated that even though I knew the palace was not my home
43:03I still endured three years there for my father
43:06And I hated that in the end
43:07I still failed to save him
43:10So now everything is only returning to where it should be
43:14And it was something he never completely on
43:19He never completely took away
43:20Something seemed to shatter in Leon's eyes
43:27We sat in silence for a long time
43:29In the end
43:30There was no unnecessary farewell
43:32When the carriage left
43:34I did not look back
43:36Over the next few years
43:37I poured almost all my time into the armory camp
43:40I repaired gates
43:43Adjusted crossbows
43:44Redesigned horseshoes for the northern cavalry
43:47Eventually
43:48Even the minister of war in the capital heard that there was a female armorer
43:52In the north who could make ruined plates of armor look new again
43:56When Madame Martha grew older
43:58She often sat by the forge and watched me train for innocence
44:03Choose your students carefully
44:05I'm too old to rescue you first
44:08And then rescue your useless little apprentices too
44:11My apprentices and I all laughed
44:15That winter
44:16I suddenly received news
44:18Leon had been injured
44:19A fire had broken out in the old queen's chamber
44:22And he had rushed in to save someone
44:27Half his face had been burned
44:29The messenger said Lydia had set the fire
44:33After she was driven from the palace
44:35She never accepted it
44:36She believed his majesty
44:37Refused to marry her because you were still alive
44:41And because he had kept the queen's chamber
44:44Untouched
44:45She used an old key she had secretly copied
44:48Slipped into Whitestone Palace
44:50And tried to burn the chamber down
44:52Maybe she wanted to kill Leon
44:54Maybe she wanted to kill me
44:55The woman she believed would one day return
44:58After hesitating for a long time
45:00I went to see him once
45:02My heart had not softened
45:04Something simply needed a real ending
45:10Leon lay in the palace infirmary
45:12Half of his face was wrapped in white bandages
45:15The physicians whispered that the scar would likely be deep
45:18When he saw me
45:19He gave a smile uglier than crying
45:22You came
45:23I nodded politely as if visiting an old acquaintance
45:27I heard you were hurt
45:28He said
45:30Lydia will stand trial
45:32Falsifying the key ledger
45:34Holding back the apothetory key
45:36Hiding the queen's travel permits
45:38And arson
45:40She will pay for all of it
45:41I did not ask further
45:43None of those things had anything to do with me now
45:45I only asked
45:47A few polite questions about his injuries
45:54Will the burn affect your sight?
46:01The physicians say one eye may blur in winter
46:04It doesn't matter
46:06Then follow their instructions
46:08When the next group of nobles came in to visit
46:11I took the chance to leave at the door
46:13Leon suddenly called my name
46:21Aaliyah
46:21I stopped but did not turn around
46:24His voice was low
46:28That chamber is gone
46:32Everything from before is gone too
46:34I said calmly
46:36That's alright
46:38I never wanted any of it
46:41I said calmly
46:44Behind me
46:45There was a long silence
46:46I opened the door and walked out of the infirmary
46:49The sunlight outside was bright
46:51Like my new life
47:02Lydia's trial was held in the old judgment hall of Whitestone Palace
47:05She no longer wore pale blue silk or white fox fur
47:09Her wrists were bound
47:11Her hair was loose
47:12And smoke stains still clung to the hem of her gown
47:15Lydia, former chief court lady
47:17You are accused of falsifying household ledgers
47:20Withholding royal keys
47:22Concealing travel permits
47:23Delaying royal medicine
47:25And setting fire to the queen's chamber
47:27How do you answer?
47:29Lydia lifted her head and laughed
47:36The noble's whisper dot
47:38Leon sat behind the carved screen
47:40Half his face hidden beneath bandages
47:42He did not speak
47:45The recovered ledger
47:47Shows that the apothothry key
47:49Was requested five times
47:51On the night
47:52Master Thomas died
47:53Each request
47:55Was delayed
47:56Under your seal
47:57I followed palace
48:00Die followed palace rules
48:02The travel permit
48:03Was also hidden
48:05Under your seal
48:06Because she always wanted
48:08To run back
48:09To that filthy forge
48:13Not the furls
48:15Leon closed his eyes
48:17Lydia suddenly turned toward the screen
48:19As if she could see him
48:21Leon, if Allelia had not appeared
48:23I would have been queen long ago
48:27You kept that chamber untouched
48:29Because you still dreamed she would return
48:31If she died
48:33Everything would go back to how it was
48:37The judgment hall fell silent
48:39Then you admit you set the fire
48:42Knowing she might return
48:43Lydia's face twisted
48:45I admit nothing
48:47Except that she stole
48:48What should have been mine
48:56After the trial
48:57Leon dismissed every guard
48:59And walked alone
49:00To the ruins of the old queen's chamber
49:02The corridor still smelled of smoke
49:05The portraits of past queens
49:06Remained on the walls
49:08But the place where Allelia's portrait
49:10Had once hung
49:10Was black and empty
49:13Your majesty
49:14The physician said
49:15You should not be near Ash
49:20Leave
49:21The guard bowed and retreated
49:23Leon stepped over burned silk
49:26Broken beams
49:27And melted glass
49:28The wardrobe that he had finally opened
49:30For Allelia was gone
49:31The jewel room was gone
49:33The table where he had placed
49:35The polished golden
49:36Keys was split in half
49:38A half-melted key lay in the ashes
49:40Leon picked it up with his bandaged hand
49:46Your majesty
49:47Your wound will reopen
49:49It should
49:50He looked at the twisted key
49:52And suddenly remembered Allelia
49:54Standing before him
49:55With a small trunk at her feet
50:00Allelia's voice seemed to return from the fire
50:02I don't need them
50:04I don't need them now
50:06Leon pressed the key against his palm
50:08Four years
50:09He had believed that if he kept the chamber
50:12Kept the gowns
50:13Kept the keys
50:14He could keep the possibility of her return
50:18But the chamber had burned
50:20The portrait had burned
50:21Even the keys had lost their shape
50:24Only then did Leon understand
50:26That Allelia had not disappeared from his life
50:28Because a door had closed
50:29She had left because
50:31He had never given her one worth opening
50:35The palace corridor looked as brilliant as it had before
50:39With portraits of past queens hanging along the walls
50:42There had once been a portrait of me there too
50:44After the dissolution
50:46Leon never ordered it removed
50:48Now that portrait had burned with the chamber
50:50Good
50:51Some things should never have been kept later
50:54I heard that Lydia cursed my name throughout her trial
50:58She said that if it had not been for me
51:00She would have been queen long ago
51:02She said that if it had not been for me
51:06She said that if I died
51:07Everything would go back to how it was
51:09I only found it ridiculous
51:11In the end
51:12They really were a perfect match
51:14One believed that as long as he kept the old chamber
51:18I would one day return
51:19The other believed that as long as I disappeared
51:22She would be able to walk through that door
51:24They were both stubbornly guarding things that did not belong to them
51:28Both of them were trapped in the past
51:30Refusing to move on
51:31What a shame I had not seen it sooner
51:33One regret in a lifetime was enough
51:36A young girl at the work table glanced at the messenger's letter in my hand
51:41Teacher, is that news from the palace?
51:44I folded the letter and pushed it into the fire
51:49No
51:50It is only ash
51:52Madam Martha snorted from the corner
51:54Good answer
51:56Now teach that girl how to file a clean edge
51:59Before she ruins my tools
52:01After that
52:02I never went back to the palace
52:04I never followed any news of Leon again
52:08Several months after Lydia's sentence
52:10The Minister of War placed a Northern Armory report before Leon
52:14Your Majesty
52:16The Border Cavalry requests more horseshoes from Miss Elia's workshop
52:20But their design has reduced winter injuries by nearly half
52:24Leon's fingers paused on the seal
52:26The capital armory could use her skill
52:29We may invite her to Whitestone for a royal commission
52:32For a moment, the chamber was silent
52:34Then Leon said quietly
52:36Send the invitation
52:37He told himself it was for the kingdom
52:40He did not tell the minister that he had read every northern report
52:43With her name on it
52:45He did not say that each mention of Aaliyah's work hurt worse than a scar across his face
52:50Days later, a royal messenger arrived at Thomas' workshop
52:54Miss Elia
52:55His Majesty invites you to the capital to oversee a new lock system for Whitestone Palace
53:01I did not stop filing the iron plate in my hand
53:04Tell the ministry to send the measurements
53:07I will design what the palace needs from here
53:10His Majesty hoped you would come in person
53:12I finally looked up
53:14I am an Amita
53:15Not a memory he can summon
53:17That evening, I wrote a formal reply
53:21Thomas' workshop accepts commissions for tools, hinges, armor plates, locks, and keys
53:28It does not accept invitations to reopen closed doors
53:32When Leon received the letter
53:34He read the last line three times
53:36Then he folded it carefully and placed it beside the ruined golden key he still kept in his desk
53:43The winters in the north were long
53:45But the forge fire never went out
53:47One of the new girls held up a broken lock and asked softly
53:51Teacher, what should I do if this won't open?
53:54I glanced at it and pushed a bar of iron into the fire
53:59If it won't open, replace it
54:01Same with doors
54:03Same with people
54:04The fire rose
54:06The red-hot iron slowly took shape beneath the hammer
54:09I suddenly thought of the night
54:11I left the palace three years ago
54:13Back then
54:14I thought I had lost everything
54:16Only now did I understand
54:18I had simply carried myself out of a palace where
54:21I had never been given a key
54:25From then on
54:26My life would only move forward
54:28I would never look back
54:31The new girl stared at the broken lock in her palm
54:33Then looked at the iron glowing in the furnace
54:38Teacher, can I make my own key?
54:40I handed her the smaller hammer my father once made for me
54:45You can make a key
54:46You can make a door
54:47You can even decide there should be no door there at all
54:50Less talking
54:52More hammering
54:53The apprentices burst into laughter
54:55I laughed with them
54:57Outside
54:58The northern snow covered the road to the capital
55:01Inside
55:01The forge burned brighter than any palace chandelier I had ever seen
55:05I raised the hammer
55:06The first strike rang clear
55:08Then the
55:09Second
55:10Then the third
55:11A new shape began to form beneath my hands
55:13The third
55:15According to the
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